Call me crazy, but I think these reviews are way too dismissive.

The Bag slips into a slinky groove at first, but by about 8:30 turns into a thematic jam reminiscent of that burning behind your eyelids when the sun is up, the party is over, and you're still trying to hit another level. Trey is exercising great melodic patience until around the 11:30 mark when he slowly tugs the jam into a more uplifting pattern. It doesn't feel like a stereotypical Millennial jam at all despite having some of the trappings of the PermaRage Pipers, DWDs, etc. More relaxed and deliberate, it still soars before ending somewhat abruptly.

The Wolfman is as relatively standard as a 14 minute Wolfman comes but Fish's drumming seems to slip in the seems in places, giving it just a hint of a Timber feel. At the peak of this sparse funk jam, Fish unleashes a battery of forcefull fills, making for a nice twist on your average Wolfmans. Trey has some missteps in this one, but also some very inspired riffs.

Whatever the reason for this Birds deciding to engage it's cloaking device and approach the Great Barrier. Who cares? Maybe Trey bungled the Type I riffs and decided to flip the switch from "Dance Party" to "Interesting"- whatever the speculation is about the cause, the result is a fucking fascinating sun snow shower of improvisation. By 5:30 we drop almost immediately to ambient spaces. This jam progresses in an almost composed fashion til 9 minutes in when the same acid casualty vibe of the AC/DC sprays technicolor all over the snow. Thankfully the snow just eats up the pigment and light around it and melts into a series of slowly shifting pastel shadows painting a reflection fractured by steadily expanding concentric waves of feedback. They feed back into each other and begin to intertwine and climb each other's faces as they crest into a crescendo that's truly majestic.

Mikes>Hydrogen is nothing to write home about, but the Weekapaug is a scorcher. It briefly goes into some interestingly weird syncopation on it's way to the slowed down ending.

ASIHTOS is unfortunately short, but Trey has some excellent ideas, including some off-kilter asymmetrical stabs that add up to too perfect of a balance to write off as sloppiness. The segue into Piper is much more concrete and invigorated than most. Well done. At 7 minutes into Piper, Trey starts up a menacing staccato chord progression, Mike & Page latch onto it. Fish's drumming shows hint at surf music without giving all the way into it. Page shifts the jam in and out of focus in a disorienting way with his organ. That almost Batman-y chord progression peaks its head up and re-submerges several times.

This is an absolutely smashing Hood for 2004. The way they peak it is as unique as it is cathartic. Trey hits an awesome effect that moves you into full blown Good Mode, and then sloppily (Yet oh so endearingly) trills his way. So much conflicting emotion in that Hood. Such drained voices in the ending lyrics.

I really like this show.

This was my 2nd Phish show. My first was at the Royal Albert Hall in London and that's what changed things for me from quite interested... enjoying the compilation tape my mate had done for me about 6 months before that was starting to be in regular rotation in my car... to full-on 'this band is absolutely fascinating and I want to know and hear more'. I signed up for the Schvice that night and would look longingly when they arrived in the post at the tour dates - wondering when the next UK tour would be. I didn't realise that any shows outside the US were rare even then and were soon to become non-existent. So by 2004 I was getting desperate and, realising I had to somehow get to America to make it happen, the planets came into alignment and it turned out I had to make a business trip to Rhode Island in August. I paid way too much money on ebay for a couple of tickets and then worried for weeks that they wouldn't get to the UK in time before I had to fly out to Boston.
But everything went perfectly to plan and there I was on a Tuesday afternoon in August driving into a Phish lot for the first time. What an experience. I had no prior knowledge of the lot scene or Shakedown Street and I was blown away by it all. I just felt immediately comfortable (apart from the heat which I was really not used to) and at home with like-minded people. I bought some nice-looking chocolate brownies and spent the afternoon in a pleasant semi-daze, wandering round and round the lot thrilled at all the crazy and cool sights and the endless stream of cars full of happy people being slowly marshalled in.
Eventually it was showtime and I passed on my spare ticket for a fraction of what it cost me to someone who didn't even want to go in the pav - I hadn't realised that anyone would actually prefer to be on the lawn. In fact the idea of 'the lawn' was completely alien to me. There are no venues in the UK remotely like the pavilions that Phish play on Summer Tour.
My recollection of the show was that I was so excited in the first set - thrilled that they started with an extended Bag, played PYITE 3rd song in, and all in all dropped a nice first set which seemed to be over in a flash.
Set break gave a breath of fresh air and I queued to get a nice Mansfield shirt then watched everyone milling round meeting up with their friends and sharing thoughts on what would be in Set 2. Back in my (good, page-side halfway down) seat I chatted with the people next to me who had heard my accent and were amazed that someone had flown from the UK for the gig. I was super-thrilled and touched that they shared their bowl with me which only further convinced me that this whole experience was like if I'd imagined what my perfect gig experience could be and here it was - band, music, atmosphere, people, lights, vibe everything....
Set 2 started how I expected a Phish gig to be - Mike's Groove into some laid back jamming and then for me halfway through it all went a bit flat. I wasn't familiar with Makisupa at the time and have always had a bit of a thing against white boy reggae (I'm over it Phish-wise btw), Dog Faced Boy was ok but Friday really bummed me and as much as I liked Hood I felt a bit 'is that it?' as Set 2 ended.
Was very happy that Possum was the encore but all too soon it was back to the car and one of the longest waits I've ever had to get out of a car park. Plenty of time to reflect on an amazing day and how pleased I was with myself and how I'd made it happen.
Next day I had to get back to Boston for my flight back to the UK and kept thinking why hadn't I swapped my spare ticket for one for the second night - surely I could have changed my flight and taken an extra day off work? - but that was it, 2 more shows, then Coventry, then the end and I would never get to see Phish again.
Listening back to the show now, Set 1 is still very good and a 6 song first set is pretty unusual (especially from a 2011 perspective). Set 2 has its moments but I still get a bit bummed by Friday and Trey is clearly not fully on his game at various points in the show. All the same, this show brings back very special memories for me and proved that if you want it enough a little travelling shouldn't get in the way. I'm now up to 13 more shows in 3.0 so have a different warmer perspective on everything... and I love Phish, every day.

I don't like this show very much, but I wanted to point out something not mentioned in the other reviews: listen to this Dog Faced Boy. It is a haunting, devastating prelude to the Coventry Velvet Sea. Knowing where they were and what was happening just fills this rendition with meaning. You can almost hear Trey's heart break in the vocals. The lyrics are so poignant (I never realized how aptly they apply to 2004 Phish) and Trey seems to totally understand his role in it all.

Again, I would go to almost any show over these last few weeks of 2004, but at least go to phish tracks and check out the Dog Faced Boy for a few minutes of deep connectivity with these men.

ACDC Bag!!!!

This is 16 minutes of the best kind of uplifting perma-groove the band is capable of delivering. Immediately from the outset of the guitar solo, Trey lays into plalying chords, and we're instantly in Type II territory.

Ever the game-changer, Mike instantly picks up on whats going on and delivers, in my opinion, the greatest slap bass lines the man has EVER performed onstage, with Phish. They are at once funky, mean, thrilling, forceful, badass, and joyful. It's amazing. I don't know if I have a "favorite thing" that Trey, Page, or Fish has ever done, but my all-time most favorite thing Mike has ever done is hands-down this ACDC Bag.

The jam also moves through a number of different things, coalescing back onto itself and re-appearing with as much technicolor glory as anything from 1997 or Dec 1999. Towards the 2nd half of the jam, Fishman develops a drumbeat somewhat akin to the Runaway Jim beat. It's a quasi-untz, where he's playing a fast 1-2, 1-2, 1-2 pattern alternating between his kick drum and the snare. It's so driving and locomotive... incendiary.

You need to hear this ACDC Bag. I like it better than 12/30/97 and 11/7/98 (which is also ~20 minutes long).

The setlist looks delicious, but don't be fooled - this is a sloppy, unsatisfying show, and (alas) a preview of the apocalyptic Coventry festival. No doubt it was even harder for the band than for us, but that doesn't make it any easier to listen to. The next night is leavened by sentiment and audience participation, but there's a reason Phish said goodbye in August 2004, and it shows through this week of concerts.

My first show!! I had been listening to Phish since I was a teenager and never got around to seeing them until I graduated college. So I think I wanted to see Phish before I took this big trip around the world, like a trip before my trip.

This show opened up really nicely, with lots of people in a good mood on the lawn. The first set was pretty fantastic as I recall. I didn't know much about Phish shows at the time. I was also on a headful of the fungus. By the time BOAF peaked, I could have sworn that Trey was channeling beautiful spiritual transcendence through his guitar. Relistening (sans mush) to BOAF it is indeed fantastic.

The second set was also a great time. Looking back, I definitely remember feeling like we hit a speed bump somewhere late in the second set, but I could have just been tired from standing so long. Dog faced boy was a treat, and the Hood was fantastic. I think it was the Hood that has kept me coming back. It reminded me of being a kid and listening to A Live One while I drifted off to sleep, and that feeling of being a phish rushing along down a river bobbing up and down not quite breaking the surface of the water. By the time they rolled around with "you can feel good" I was totally blissed out.

What a great first show, but bittersweet in that I was to go five or so years without another one.

This show has some good points, and some bad points. These add up to an average show, but not one that can be dismissively painted with a broad brush.

AC/DC Bag kicks off the proceedings in an energetic manner, but the jam loses focus and just sort of peters out after several uncertain minutes. Heavy Things is out-of-sync from the start and never really recovers. PYITE is a solid, satisfying version. Wolfman's Brother is a true highlight - a thick, murky funk jam that stands up to all but a very few elite versions. This one gets seriously dirty! Theme balances murk with lightness, as usual. Another solid version. The set-closing Birds Of a Feather is all that many people seem to mention about this show. It's a long, propulsive jam in which Trey is not the only one who plays a lot of notes. However, to my ears it doesn't go anywhere interesting and ends sort of awkwardly.

Mike's is kind of heavy-handed, but not sloppy per se. Hydrogen is its usual self, but the transitions at either end feel rushed. Weekapaug is notable for the downshift in tempo at the end - a unique version, but in a neutral way. A Song I Heard the Ocean Sing was unfortunately one in which I heard rough harmonies and cumbersome changes. Spirited enough version, though, and it gets the job done before leading into a dark Piper with a squishy, muddy feel to the jam. Makisupa lopes mercifully from the muck, and is a playful version. The crowd clearly approved of the "glass of soy milk", even if some curmudgeons fail (objectively speaking) to see the humor. Dog-Faced Boy and Friday are well-played (especially the latter), and serve as a nice respite from the somewhat uncomfortable edge that pervades much of this set. A harried Hood wraps up set two. This one jumps with nervous tension from the get-go, with an unusually truncated intro, and just can't relax. All is not lost, though: A positively screaming, distorted burst from Trey's guitar a little before the 10-minute mark kicks the last couple minutes into overdrive for a thunderous finish.
Possum encore is rushed, with an abbreviated intro and a "let's just get this over with" ambience.

i really liked the deer creek and alpine shows from the first leg of the summer tour. in fact, i thought the first leg of the tour was pretty darn strong. the second leg of the tour, on the other hand, was pretty sloppy and weak. i don't know if it was nerves, emotions, or drugs- i assume a combination of all 3, but these last few shows are just poor. i won't go play by play, but it is simply hard to listen to. even normal winners like hampton fall short. this one has a very nice set list, but the playing is just not there. if you want a glimmer of hope, see asihtos>piper>makisupa. nothing else to see here.

As my 33rd Phish show (first in over 4 years) I was excited to see "AC/DC Bag" opener - and a crazy jam! Reminded me of how the first Great Woods show opened in June 1995. What would they follow THAT with? A complete "Gamehendge"? No - "Heavy Things". But "Punch You In The Eye" brought everything back up to the craziness of the opener. "Wolfman`s Brother" is long and funky. "Theme From The Bottom" brought back a great song. And I think everyone was surprised at the places "Birds of a Feather" went! Was this really just the FIRST set? Then the second set "Mike`s Song>I Am Hydrogen>Weekapaug Groove" - flashbacks of the `95 show - with the old school in-between song, straight into the groove (which even slowed down to be MORE funky at the end!) - where else do you go? Trey`s explanation that "Weekapaug`s Groove" vocal was a riff on "Oh What A Night" was funny. "Makisupa Policeman" is funky as well (though some other people in the crowd thought "soy milk" was kind of weak...) "Dog Faced Boy" was unexpected, and "Friday" seemed like they were losing a bit of energy. "Harry Hood" is always a good closer. "Possum" had to be kept short because of the curfew in MA. Excellent show, though. Thanks Phish!

I was there, and I had a great time.

This was my first outdoor Phish show.
My first two shows were in Miami for 12/30 and NYE.
Had a great time in the lot, pre show.
Got a ride with friends all the way from Canada.
The vibe to me seemed good, but the next night, things got weird. with trey offering his guitar to the crowd saying "I wont be needing this anymore"
good show, Im listening back now for the first time in 15 years. Sounds real good so far.

One thing to keep in mind about this show, and August 2004 in general, is Trey's willingness to push boundaries in jamming. Some phans feel like that doesn't excuse the frequent misfires in recitation of the compositions, but I have heard a lot of Phish that nails the composed portions, and jamming is more interesting to me. AC/DC Bag to open the show jams out to about 16 minutes, but the payoff comes surprisingly as far as jamming in Wolfman's Brother and Theme From the Bottom (with a notable lyric flub from Page "As I swim on by") rather than Bag and the perhaps no-brainer of a 21-minute Birds of a Feather. The Wolfman's and Theme feel kind of like a slightly more hazy take on the 2000 Phish sound, whereas Birds has some interesting ambience but is overall kind of experimentally weak. The banter about Weekapaug Groove and A Song I Heard the Ocean Sing is interesting in the second set, prefiguring the Phishtorical anecdotes from Coventry, but this is probably the least coherent version of ASIHTOS ever played! Granted it had just been debuted about 2 months previous. The segue from it, though -> Piper is good, and the one from Piper -> Makisupa Policeman even better. The set-closing Harry Hood is also worth listening to.

Bag opens and gets down to business fast, with a nice cohesive groove. It picks up steam as Trey noodles around, it doesn't really go anywhere. An above average Heavy Things. PYITE sounds very off. Some nice jungle funk in Wolfman, with a strong ending. Theme is very rough. BOAF goes into a very mellow jam, it kind of meanders a little as Trey noodles around. He then finds a riff to stick with and it comes to a quick end.

Mikes starts S2 with a standard version, as is Hydrogen. Weekapaug is fire as usual, and has a cool little vocal/guitar section. A decent quick Piper jam. A fantastic segue into Makisupa. And another very short Hood, but the strongest of this year so far.

Possum is pretty sloppy.

This show is very off. The jams don't really go anywhere and there is a lot of flubbery. However Wolfman, Weekapaug, and Heavy Things offer some notable versions.